Join us on Saturday, November 11, for an introduction to the Las Cumbres Observatory, a unique research institute. Dr. Curtis McCully, a postdoctoral researcher at the Las Cumbres Observatory, will speak on the Observatory’s mission, it’s unique research model, and highlights of recent major discoveries to which the Observatory has contributed, in particularly, the October 16, 2017, announcement of “a kilonova, a new type of explosion in space.” Continue reading “The Kilonova as Observed at Las Cumbres Observatory”
Fall Luncheon with Bob Grubbs
You are cordially invited to the CALPACS fall luncheon. This year’s event will take place again at the Mosher Alumni House on the UC Santa Barbara campus. We are privileged to have Robert H. Grubbs, Ph.D., Victor and Elizabeth Atkins Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology, and Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, making a presentation titled “Design of selective metathesis catalysts and their applications”. Fifty and sixty year ACS members in our section will also be recognized.
A buffet lunch offering chicken, fish and vegetarian dishes will be served along with an assortment beverages, including beer and wine. Please, use the link below to make your reservation by Friday, October 6, 2017, at noon. We look forward to seeing you at this very special event.
Date: Saturday, October 14, 2017
Time: 11:30 AM
Place: Mosher Alumni House, UCSB, 93106. (Turn left onto University Plaza from Mesa Road, Google Map)
Cost: $25, $10 students
Register on EventBrite by Monday 10/9/17, by 10:00 AM
Note to honorees: you are already registered for yourself and one guest so there is no need to register on the eventbrite site, but please do RSVP so we have an accurate count of guests.
Chemistry Olympiad Lecture at Westmont College
Why Choose A Path When You Can Create Your Own: The Intersection of Science, Entrepreneurship, & Meaningful Work
Jenny Du, Vice President of Operations, Apeel Sciences, Santa Barbara, CA
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Winter Hall of Westmont College
955 La Paz Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108
Lunch: Noon – 12:45 AM in the Winter Hall Atrium. Kindly RSVP below
Lecture and Chemistry Olympiad Awards Ceremony, 12:45 PM – 2 PM, Darling Foundation Lecture Hall (Winter Hall room 210)
Download the announcement as pdf.
Abstract: Students of chemistry are commonly led to believe that there are two typical career paths for chemists: 1) to become an academic; or 2) to work for a large chemical company. It wasn’t until I had the opportunity to connect with a mentor who shared her story of pursuing a third path— that of becoming an entrepreneur—that I really even considered how real and tangible this alternative path could be for me. As such, I’m excited to share my story and the story of our company with you, so that you may see a path for your own opportunities in the future! Please join me as I share my account of how my team members and I have found a way to combine our passion for science and engineering to tackle the global challenge of food waste, and create and build a company that we can really call our own—right here in Santa Barbara!
Biography: Jenny earned her Bachelor’s Degree in
Engineering Chemistry and her PhD in Chemistry
from Queen’s University (Kingston, ON, Canada)
where, during her graduate studies, she was
awarded an Alexander Graham Bell Canada
Graduate Scholarship by the Natural Sciences and
Engineering Research Council of Canada in
recognition of her research work. Following
completion of her doctoral degree, she joined the
Chemistry Department at UCSB as a postdoctoral
researcher where she worked for 2 years prior to
joining Apeel Sciences as the Director of Extraction Engineering. She is now the Vice President of Operations at Apeel Sciences, where she is responsible for leading the company’s efforts in Regulatory Affairs & Compliance, Facilities, and Supply Chain & Logistics.
2016 Elections: Candidate Statements
Chair Elect (3-year Term):
Phil Hampton, Ph.D., is currently a Professor of Chemistry and Faculty Director of STEM Initiatives at CSU Channel Islands. He came to CI as one of thirteen founding faculty members in 2001 and the sole chemist for the campus. Prior to CI, he was an Assistant and Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of New Mexico. He maintain an active research program with CI undergraduates that focuses on organic synthesis, specifically the synthesis of curcumin analogs as potential anti-cancer agents, and on chemical education. He has served as the Principal Investigator/ Project Director on a nearly $6 million grant from the Department of Education, entitled Project ACCESO. Bringing science to the community, specifically K-12 grade students, is Prof. Hampton’s greatest passions. In 2009, he founded the annual (free) Science Carnival offered each Fall where PK-8 grade students can engage in over 100 hands-on science activities. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, backpacking, kayaking, reading, 3D printing, and inventing/ tinkering with Arduinos and electronics. He serves a Board Member of KidSTREAM, a new children’s museum being launched in Camarillo, CA. He has served as a member of the Executive Committee of CALPACS for the past two years.
Secretary (1-year Term):
James Pavlovich, Ph.D., has been Manager of the UCSB Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Mass Spectrometry Facility since 1994. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Cal Poly, SLO in 1985. He worked at an environmental analytical laboratory in SLO from 1985-1987. He received his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Oregon State University in Corvallis in 1993. He did postdoctoral research in the Environmental Science and Engineering Department at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. James has served as section chair, treasurer, and secretary.
Treasurer (1-year Term):
Ata Shirazi, Ph.D., retired in 2011 as Manager of the UCSB Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry NMR Facility where he had served since 1984. He received his Ph.D. from University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and did post-doctoral work at University of Iowa at Iowa City. He was Manager of the NMR Facility at Washington Univ. School of Medicine from 1980-82 before moving to Santa Barbara. Ata has previously served as section treasurer and for two terms on the Executive Committee.
Members of Executive Committee (3-year Terms):
Jenny Du, Ph.D. Jenny is the VP of Operations and People at Apeel Sciences, located in Santa Barbara, CA, where she facilitates and coordinates the efforts of the scientific and administrative divisions of the company.
Jenny received her Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Chemistry from Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. For her doctoral studies, Jenny crossed over to the Chemistry Department at Queen’s to join the multidisciplinary lab of Prof. Cathleen Crudden where her graduate work in Materials Chemistry earned her the prestigious Alexander Graham Bell Graduate Fellowship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Looking to broaden her skill set, Jenny relocated to Santa Barbara, CA to pursue postdoctoral research with Prof. Guillermo Bazan at UC Santa Barbara.
Jenny recently joined the CALPACS Executive Committee to fill a one-year term (2015-2016), and has enjoyed the opportunity to connect with other ACS members (both from academia and industry) as well as members of the broader community through her Committee involvement. In running for a three-year term, she hopes to continue to bring her enthusiasm and energy to the Committee and contribute to expanding the reach of the Committee and the ACS throughout the region.
Charles F. Huber My name is Charles Huber, and I have been a member of CALPACS from its inception twenty years ago. I arrived in Santa Barbara in 1987 to take on the job of Chemical Sciences Librarian at UC-Santa Barbara and have done so ever since. Throughout these almost 30 years I have been active in the American Chemical Society, primarily in the Division of Chemical Information, of which I have served as chair, and, currently as an Alternate Councilor. I have served for several years on the Joint Board-Council committee on Chemical Abstracts Service (CCAS), and before that on library advisory committees for CAS and ACS Publications.
Locally, I have served the UCSB chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for several years reviewing prospective members, and for the past two years have reviewed projects by middle school and high school students for the local Math, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) program.
I would be honored to serve CALPACS on its Board, and hope to build on its tradition of service to the chemistry community in our region at all levels – from K-12 students to retirees – and all parts of our section from north to south.
Payam Minoofar, Ph.D. Having served CALPACS as a previous chair and member of the Executive Committee, I am volunteering to serve the section again as a member of the Executive Committee. The large and beautiful geography of our section presents our members with an unrivaled standard of living. It also presents the section officers with challenges with respect to organization of events. I endeavor to complete the efforts I started five years ago to build the digital resources that will facilitate involvement of our members in our governing process and our activities. Our goals are to improve communication within the section and to increase involvement of our local membership in order to build an intellectually and socially active community of scientists in the Central Coast.
Fall Wine Tasting at Babcock Winery
Another year has passed, and the holidays are quickly descending upon us. We cordially invite you to take respite from the pandemonium of holiday planning and indulge in some of the fine wines that our territory produces along with the delicious cooking of the chemists who comprise our fine section. This year’s tasting is scheduled on Saturday, December 3, 2016, at Babcock Winery in Lompoc, about 40 minutes north of Santa Barbara. In addition to a tasting of six of Babcock’s acclaimed wines, we will be treated to Babcock’s beautiful grounds and their revolutionary cultivation of grapes. Join us in closing another successful year and in planning the next one.
Please use the form below to reserve your seat.
Date: Saturday December 3, 2016
Time: 12:00 – 2:00 PM
Location: Babcock Winery, 5175 E Highway 246
Lompoc, CA 93436 (Google map)
Cost: $10
Advanced Power Generation and Storage at NASA JPL
Of necessity, NASA has pioneered numerous modes of electricity generation and storage in order to power space missions with unique power requirements. Thermoelectric generation, solar generation and electrochemical systems have been perfected in order to power missions that have lasted from days to decades. On Saturday, November 12, we have the privilege of hearing Dr. Rao Surampudi (bio)of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory speak on NASA’s latest power generation systems. Dr. Surampudi will provide a glimpse into the cutting edge technologies that may transition to the commercial and consumer markets in order to satisfy the world’s growing appetite for energy.
Refreshments and light snacks will be served.
Speaker: Dr. Rao Surampudi
Title: Advanced Power Generation and Storage at NASA JPL
Date: Saturday, November 12, 2016
Time: 12:00 – 2:00 PM
Location: CSU Channel Islands Boating Center
3880 Harbor Blvd., Oxnard, CA 93035 (Google Map, driving directions below)
Cost: Free. Your RSVP via the form below is kindly requested.
Continue reading “Advanced Power Generation and Storage at NASA JPL”
20th Anniversary Banquet
Speaker: Donna Nelson, Ph.D.
President, American Chemical Society
You are cordially invited to CALPACS’s 20th anniversary celebration and banquet! In addition to honoring the 50- and 60-year members of our section, we will be celebrating the passage of this important milestone for our section, your section, the California Los Padres Section of the American Chemical Society.
We are honored to have the President of the American Chemical Society, Professor Donna Nelson, as our speaker on this very special occasion. Dr. Nelson will address the role of the local section in the ACS, the challenges facing the chemical enterprise, the future of chemistry and the future of the ACS.
Date: Saturday, October 8, 2016
Time: Reception at 5:00 PM, Dinner at 6, proceedings and lecture at 6:30
Place: UCSB Mosher Alumni House (Google map)
Cost: $25 regular members, $15 students
Please use the form below to reserve by Wednesday October 5.
Wine and beer will be available.
Complimentary parking is available. Please refer to the UCSB Parking Map and park in Lot 12, adjacent to the Mosher Alumni House. As you enter the lot there an attendant will provide a parking pass and direct guests to the designated parking area.
Donna J. Nelson, Ph.D., is Professor of Chemistry at the University of 
Oklahoma. Dr. Nelson specializes in organic chemistry, which she both researches and teaches. Nelson’s career has focused on five primary topics of research generally categorized in two areas, Scientific Research and America’s Scientific Readiness. Within Scientific Research, Nelson’s topics have been: mechanistic patterns in alkene addition reactions and Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube (SWCNT) functionalization and analysis. Under America’s Scientific Readiness, she focuses on science education, which includes classroom innovations and correcting organic chemistry textbook inaccuracies, ethnic and gender diversity among highly ranked science departments of research universities, and improving the presentation of science and images of scientists to the public, such as serving as a science advisor to the AMC television show Breaking Bad. In November, 2014, she was elected President-Elect of the American Chemical Society.
2015 Wine Tasting at Castoro Cellars
December is almost here, and it is time once again for our fall wine tasting event. Join us for a relaxing afternoon of wine tasting at Castoro Cellars, one of the best known wineries in Paso Robles. Castoro’s award winning wines will be paired with a selection of soups prepared by section officers and a large selection of cheeses. Start the holiday celebrations early and get an update on what is happening in chemistry in the tricounty area.
Please use the form below Continue reading “2015 Wine Tasting at Castoro Cellars”
2015 Candidate Statements
The statements for the candidates in the 2015 CALPACS elections appear below. You will receive your ballot via email. Thank you for voting!
Chair-Elect:
Free Lecture on Sustainable Agriculture Technology
Please join us on Saturday, November 14, 2015, for a free lecture on new technologies for sustainable agriculture. Dr. James Rogers, Science Director and CEO of Apeel Sciences, will speak about his company’s mission and progress in developing plant based technologies for pesticide free agriculture and food preservation.
Time: 2 pm, Saturday, November 14. 2015
Place: Channel Islands Boating Center
3880 Bluefin Cir Oxnard, CA (Google map, driving directions below)
Cost: Free
Light snacks and refreshments will be served. This event is open to the public.
Your reservation via the form below is kindly requested.
James Rogers, Ph. D.
Science Director and CEO
Apeel Sciences
James received dual undergraduate degrees from Carnegie Mellon University in Materials Science & Engineering and Biomedical Engineering and received his PhD in Materials from UCSB. For his PhD research, James was the recipient of the 2012 Frank J. Padden Jr. Award for polymer physics, the premier polymer physics prize in the United States. James is a graduate of the UC Santa Barbara Technology Management Program and also holds a Master’s degree in Economics.
Drawing from his research, James founded Apeel Sciences to help provide new organic technology solutions for sustainable agriculture. James guides corporate strategy and oversees the company’s research and development efforts.
Driving Directions:
From north of Oxnard, CA
Merge onto US-101 S. to Los Angeles
Take the exit toward Victoria Ave./ Channel Islands Harbor 0.2 mi.
Turn left at Valentine Rd. 0.1 mi.
Turn right at S. Victoria Ave. 5.4 mi.
Turn right at W. Channel Islands Blvd. 0.5 mi.
Turn left to stay on W. Channel Islands Blvd. 417 ft.
Slight left at Harbor Blvd. 1.0 mi.
We are right next to the Maritime Museum and the Whale’s Tail restaurant.
From south of Oxnard, CA
Merge onto US-101 N toward Ventura
Take the Victoria Ave. exit toward Channel Island Harbor 0.2 mi.
Turn left at S. Victoria Ave. 5.5 mi.
Turn right at W. Channel Islands Blvd. 0.5 mi.
Turn left to stay on W. Channel Islands Blvd. 417 ft.
Slight left at Harbor Blvd. 1.0 mi.
We are right next to the Maritime Museum and the Whale’s Tail restaurant.